While I have some friends and colleagues who are Muslim, I knew little of the religion’s general food restrictions beyond pork and alcohol. With Islam currently practiced by 2 billion people across the globe, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to examine the overlap between halal (“legal”) and vegan foods. Interestingly, many highly Muslim countries already had vegan or vegan-friendly cuisines to start.
“Good vs. evil” stories may be fun and comforting to watch, but they aren’t representative of reality and therefore don’t prepare us to navigate reality effectively. Historical fiction, especially, is full of embellishments and details that have been changed for a reason. That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy art, but it does mean we should consume it with our brains turned on.
The 250th anniversary of the American Revolution (during unprecedented tumult in our democracy) has had many thinking about what it takes to stand up to tyranny. The rise and fall of authoritarian regimes can hinge on outside-the-box thinking and the presence of an educated populace armed with critical thinking skills and knowledge of history – and we saw a call for that this past week.
I’m not a car person, but I do appreciate good engineering and design of cars that are way out of my price range. Our last stop in Japan was a famous (and infamous) car meet that inspired the movie “Tokyo Drift.” Walking among the lovingly modified cars, I wondered if such events will survive our eventual transition from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles.
The standard Hollywood-style, three-act movie with a showdown between good and evil at the end may be fun to watch, but it isn’t realistic. Miyazaki’s use of the “kishotenketsu” narrative arc represents a more subtle style of storytelling, but it invites the audience to take more of an active role as thoughtful viewers, maybe even applying insights to our own lives in the process.
Humans are paradoxical creatures, made from a complex recipe of our own individual experiences. However, we often define ourselves based on our relationships with others in the form of binary opposition. Modern politics and social media trade on labels and increasingly polarized positions that can organize people quickly and play on strong emotions, but those labels also limit our ability to understand each other.
My Halloween costume in 2024 honored San, the heroine of “Princess Mononoke.” While she is flawed and biased, she is passionate and driven, and no one can deny her strength. But the concept of “strong” female characters raises many questions about what that word means and how it is portrayed in popular culture. Director Hayao Miyazaki has a perspective more grounded in reality than most.
While we don’t (yet) have artificial intelligence that can match human intelligence, we seem to have enough difficulty interacting with the Narrow AI that exists now. Such technology is supposed to make our lives easier – and in some ways it does – but some of our distinctly human skills, such as critical thought, creativity, and discernment seem to be eroding as we rely more on AI.
As an avid science fiction fan, I have spent much of my life focusing on what is possible – good and bad. The potential negative outcomes of our technology are concerning if we let our achievements outpace any consideration of their implications. Man vs. machine narratives can serve as a popular cautionary tale in that vein, but are they simplifying the situation too much?
I only had one day to explore Oahu after my climate lab session, meaning I needed to make it count, but since one of my favorite TV shows, “Lost,” was filmed almost entirely on that island, the choice was pretty easy. I was thrilled to see familiar scenes at Kualoa Ranch, but I was surprised to learn more about what else goes on there: sustainable agriculture.